The Fall
by Agent S7
Summary: Star WarsPPG The galaxy is in chaos. When the Empire strikes the girls' home of Townsville, can they evade the power of the dark side? And, as the situation grows darker, they learn more about their shrouded past...
1. Crashlanding

(I'm back:D Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this new story. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Secret7 and I love writing crossovers. oh how I loooove them And this, in fact, is one of the many I've been itching to write. Hope you like it, --Secret7)

Powerpuff-Star Wars:

The Fall

Midnight.

Townsville, Planet Earth.

The flaming ship flew through the night sky, burning the clouds themselves. The pilot screamed, activating a distress beacon, but it was far too late. The object slammed into Townsville Park, and there was an explosion of light.

This single event would change the galaxy forever.

---

_Awake._

Blossom's eyes suddenly opened. The dream…it was so odd…She barely understood the dream at all. It was more of a nightmare really. About a Utopia…spoiled. Ruined and shook down to it's foundations for a new order. And, on the top of the steel house of cards was a single cloaked individual. He stood on the top, and then stared at Blossom right in the eyes. The fiery eyes she had seen, full of hatred…it was Hell or something like it.

She climbed herself out of bed. Things had changed so much in nine years. They were nearing the end of Middle School, and were soon to go to Townsville High. Buttercup had actually taken on yet another title as a vigilante who fought criminals at night, keeping her name secret and calling herself "Spore", like her other, more ill-fated superhero identity. Bubbles was still pretty much the same, except for the fact that she was a social outcast, with only her best friend (maybe more?) Mike Believe to keep her company, along with, of course, Robyn.

Blossom let out a yawn. Things had changed so much. They were, of course, still superheroes, just older, more experienced ones. And, speaking of which, there was the villains. They had taken a turn for the better, as almost no one wanted to mess with the Powerpuff Girls _now_, besides (naturally) Mojo Jojo and HIM.

"Girls!" The Professor shouted from down the stairs. This woke up Bubbles and Buttercup with a snap and the Professor continued. "The Mayor's called! Something fascinating has happened! A meteorite has crashed in our city. Of course, no one was hurt, but still. Investigators have said it might be an actual _extraterrestrial spacecraft!_" Utonium said with glee. "However," he added, "the police refuse to investigate unless you come. Just in case, of course."

"Be right there!" Blossom shouted, putting some clothes on. She shook her long, beautiful hair, and put on her pink shirt and blue-jeans. She looked in the mirror. _I'm cool,_ she told herself. _Yeah…I'm hot. True love is coming! I just know it!_

Bubbles and Buttercup were likewise getting dressed, occasionally thinking about what the boys in their class would think of their clothes.

"I think Mike will find me irresistible!" Bubbles said excitedly.

"You idiot! We're not going to school _yet_! First we need to check out this spaceship crap!" Buttercup said sourly.

"What's wrong?" Bubbles gloated. "Just because I have a might-be boyfriend are you scared?"

"No!" Buttercup was quick to respond. "I think that Mike Believe is a freaking dork if I've ever seen one!"

"No he's not! He writes poetry, stories, he paints…what else could you want in a person?"

"Howabout toughness? And the ability to actually defend yourself? Yeah, like Mike's gonna fend off a serial killer with a paintbrush!"

"Shut up!"

"_You_ shut up!"

"Both of you shut up!" Blossom shouted. "Let's just go and investigate this crash site and get it over with!"

Bubbles and Buttercup stared at Blossom, their rage seething. Blossom felt a twinge of hate back.

"Let's just _go_ already," Buttercup murmured.

They flew off, without a word.

---

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith stared out of the Star Destroyer window, into the cold vacuum of space. A planet was nearby. It looked volcanic, almost like the planet Mustafar.

Hell.

Where he had been reborn.

The suck-hiss sound of his breathing mask filled the room. Vader fingered his lightsaber, anger surging through his soul. He wanted to kill everyone on the Star Destroyer. Why not? They were all useless to his Master. He would not mind, would he?

He took control of his anger. Sidious had taught him not to let your anger explode, but to rather concentrate it, as a beam of pure hatred and destruction.

"Lord Vader?" a meek voice called.

"Yes, commander?"

"We…we have a distress signal. One of the scouts we sent out to look for the rebels…appears to be dead."

"What is the significance of this event, Commander Vienar?"

"Well…um…sir…I…"

"What planet is the signal coming from?"

"I believe it's here," said Vienar, turning on a holomap of the galaxy and pointing to a small green-blue planet.

Vader concentrated on the planet. There was something there…elusive, but powerful. At least one powerful force-sensitive, not unlike the one who had quite recently destroyed the Death Star.

"Set course to this planet," Vader commanded. "I have a plan…"

His mechanical eye-glasses glinted in the artificial light of the Star Destroyer _Executer._

_An apprentice…what a truly fascinating prospect…_

To be continued.


	2. 2

(Title Change! YAY! Anyway, I'm glad to be back as you guys are to have me back, so we're all even. Anyway, this story gets darker as it goes along, so a fair warning. And I really would enjoy reviews from people who aren't reviewing, because reviews are, as I've said many times, the fire that keeps me writing. So, enjoy the next chapter, and thank you to Kezzer and HG. You guys rule.)

Chapter II

Blossom hovered over the town. So peaceful and blissfully unaware of the threats that tried to consume it on a nearly daily basis. She felt a twinge of guilt, then a little frustration at the fact that they couldn't find another damn city to live in.

_They're like children,_ Blossom thought to herself. _Always whining…always hurting…I just…why don't they all just…**die**?_

The last thought shocked her.

_How could I…_think_ that? I…never…nevermind. More important business to take care of right now…_

But the thought kept coming as she grew closer to the crash site and only increased as she and the team landed. It was an odd site, even for a meteor.

It was in a small crater, where ash and flame all resided. In the center, like some altar of death was an oddly menacing orb, next to it were two things that might have once served as some kind of wings. The orb had a hexagonal window on it, and Bubbles was the first one to notice:

"Hey! Blossom! There's someone in there!" Bubbles exclaimed.

"Yeah…I see it too!" Buttercup added. They were referring to a human-like shape within the cockpit.

Blossom floated toward the cockpit, and moved her hand toward the glass. There was an abrupt explosion of steam as the hatch on the top opened. The steam boiled at Blossom's eyes and she was sure that if she wasn't so super-durable that it would give her at least a second-degree burn. After the scorching pain ended, she looked inside the hatch.

An armored figure sat within the ship, badly burned. There was no need to check the pulse, and she looked at the mask. There was something oddly familiar about it.

_Glass_

"What?" Blossom said audibly.

"Bloss, you OK?" Buttercup asked.

"Yeah, ya seem kinda…freaked."

"Nothing…it's nothing." But she knew that wasn't true. The mask was dark black, probably not from the fire, and had an odd symbol on the forehead. That, too, stirred some long-lost emotion from within. She began to lift the helmet—should she? Would that desecrate the body?

"Blossom…is he…?" Buttercup managed to say.

"Yes."

Bubbles and Buttercup bowed their heads in respectful silence.

"We need to…bring this ship to the Professor," Blossom managed to say.

No one said a thing.

"Well?" Blossom exploded with anguish. "Just do it for god's sake!" The tears came now, for a dead man she never had known, and now never would.

---

Isaac Utonium looked at the portrait of him and the girls. They had grown so much. He hadn't expected them to become so…_powerful_. It was far beyond his expectations. And, the ultimate irony, he had grown to love them like his own daughters, which was the last thing he had suspected, especially since he had been trained _not_ to.

The doorbell rang.

A vague possibility came into the Professor's mind, but he ignored it and opened the door. Just as he had suspected, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup were all standing in the doorway.

"Girls! Nice to see you!" he said joyously. He had been wrong, thank God.

"Look, Professor, could you analyze this?" Blossom said. "It's in the garage."

"Sure."

Isaac walked closer to the garage door, and was about to open it…

_I've got a bad feeling about this._

He opened it, and, in front of him, was something he hadn't seen in twelve long years.

A TIE fighter.

He backed away in horror. He thought they would be safe. It was all wrong. They would die, after his defection. After his banishment…

"Oh…g-god…" The Professor stammered. He felt his stomach churn.

He burst out of the garage, eyes wide.

"Girls…we need to leave. Now."

"…What?" Buttercup whispered.

"They're coming. I know they're coming. They sent a scout and they've found us. Oh god…" he whispered, tears running from his eyes.

"Who's coming?" Bubbles said quietly, distraught.

"Them…the Empire," The Professor managed to croak out. He then collapsed to the floor, pulled into unconsciousness…

To be continued…


	3. 3

(A/N: This chapter is to be particularly dark, so be warned. And, oh yeah…REVIEW! I know that more people are reading this than those who review! Do it! _Please!_)

Chapter III

The blur of hyperspace dulled down to streaks of light, which then became stars. Lord Vader stared out into the continuum of space, the one place the Empire had not conquered, and never would. A memory of Anakin Skywalker's faded into his mind.

Anakin stared into Padme Admidala's eyes. They were so beautiful. Her angelic face, her soul…her beauty poured onto him, and he was at last at peace.

For a time.

Then the searing memories returned. The twisting of his soul into what became known as Darth Vader, the Battle of Mustafar…and the burning that withered his body into machinery.

"Lord Vader!" An officer called.

He turned around from his view on the catwalk.

"Yes, Captain Ventrak?"

"We're getting much closer. We're already in the solar system. Unfortunately, we can't use the hyperdrive without the chance of a mistake in such an unexplored system, so we'll just go to the planet with our standard-issue engines…um…Sir!"

Vader could smell the fear, feel it with all that he was.

"Excellent, Captain. I believe a promotion is in order. I shall discuss it with the Emperor."

"Y-yes Lord Vader!" Ventrak said, trying to sound as unexcited as possible and failing miserably. "Don't worry, milord. We should be getting there in about 4 terran hours."

"I hope you are correct officer. For your sake I hope you are correct."

Ventrak shuddered. He said nothing, and walked off.

---

"Professor!" Buttercup shouted. "Wake up!"

"Is he breathing?" Blossom whispered frantically.

"he'sgonnadiehe'sgonnadiehe'sgonnadie…"

"Shut up, Bubbles!" Buttercup virtually screamed.

Blossom put her hand up to his neck.

"There's a pulse," Blossom said, relieved. "We should still bring him to the hospital though."

"Got it," Buttercup confirmed.

Bubbles took a deep breath. "Alright."

With an unexpected gasp, the Professor abruptly opened his eyes.

"Professor!" Bubbles whispered.

"Are you…okay?"

The Professor had a horrible fire in his eyes, an urgency that the girls had never seen before.

"Girls…we need to get out of here. _Now_."

"Damn it, listen to me! I wasn't supposed to be get attached to the subjects, but I am! You're like the daughters I never had! Listen to me!" he yelled.

The girls began to back away.

"They're going to come! I--"

"Professor…" Blossom said quietly. "You…you need to stay calm. Whatever it is, it's going to be alright. Just tell us." She said it with a cool exterior, but she was burning with emotion.

_Is the Professor insane?...God…what the Hell am I supposed to do…?_

"Listen," The Professor said, his voice much more calm. "I…need to tell you something."

The girls were silent, listening nervously.

"You weren't born. You were made."

"We already knew that…" Buttercup said, trying to restrain from shouting out the obvious.

"No. What I mean is, you weren't made. You were…_cloned_." The girls' eyes widened. "That's not the worst of it by far. Please…forgive me for what I'm about to say. Do you promise…?

Blossom started to nod, and the others followed suit.

"The Empire told me to create you. It was fourteen years ago, and I remember the day--"

Blossom's eyes went blank.

_Cold._

_Glass._

"_How soon will they be finished, Doctor Utonium?" a muffled voice said._

"_Well, I'd give them about two years before their powers fully develop. Then, of course, they'll have to be trained." Utonium's voice came in clear, despite the fuzzy quality of everything._

"_How efficient will they be?" the other voice said._

"_Very. They're the most efficient killing machines in the galaxy."_

"_Fascinating. Any connection to the Force?"_

"_They are very force-sensitive, but they draw their powers from the Chemical X inside of them. I had to splice so many creatures to get a hold of that chemical. It nearly drove me insane."_

_**No…oh god no…** Blossom whispered. **No more…no more. **_

"_The hardest part was, by far, finding the right DNA donors. I took three captured rebel children, and…"_

_**No…**_

"…_spliced the DNA right out of their bodies. The poor things. They screamed throughout the process. I almost went insane."_

"_But you didn't, Doctor. That's why we hired you."_

_**No...**_

"_Thank you, officer. I'm sure that these will be a major success over the predecessors…"_

_**No!**_

Blossom's eyes opened. The Professor was hovering over her, staring into her eyes with worry.

"Blossom! Are you al--"

"You…you monster…you killed them…"

"What happened?" the Professor asked, his voice shaky.

"I remembered. I heard you…I know what we are!" Blossom screamed. "So we're just weapons? Duplicates of children you _killed_?"

"No…you don't understand!" The Professor whispered, trying to refrain from crying. "I…I've changed."

Bubbles and Buttercup started to back away from the Professor as well.

"What did you see, Blossom?" Buttercup said, trying to comfort Blossom.

"We're death…we were meant for death…"

And with that, Blossom broke into sobs, collapsing onto the living room floor.

"Stay away from us," Bubbles said to Utonium, her voice quivering.

The Professor was quiet.

"I'm…I'll…" He shook his head. "I'll be down in the lab…"

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup hovered up the stairs to their room. In about several seconds, all Hell would break loose.

To be continued.


	4. 4

(A/N: Sorry about the "4 months" ordeal. I meant 4 hours, and I've changed it. Anyway, thanks for the reviews to everyone… :counts reviews: …to all two of you. Yay. No one ever reviews this but you guys, so you get a gold star. I genuinely thank you, but I really wish other people would review. Sorry it took so long, it just took a while to think up what would happen. Anyway, enjoy—A thoroughly depressed Secret7)

Chapter 4

There was a loud explosion of light, and Blossom's eyes widened.

Like angels of Death, there they were, looming over them like cruel spirits.

But…no…it wasn't _them_…

Not nearly as horrible as _that_ would be.

"Hey, Powerpussies!" Boomer called. "What's going on?"

"Now…is _not..._a good time…" growled Buttercup, glaring at the Rowdyruff boys.

"Does it look like we give a flying--" Butch was interrupted.

"Look. Let's get this straight." Brick began. "We hate you, you hate us. So let's just kill each-oth--"

WHAM

Brick was slammed into the wall by Blossom, his face being pounded by a barrage of punches. Brick felt each and every one, and they stung more than anything he had felt before. The blows themselves seemed to be full of hate. Things seemed to slow down. Blossom let go of punch after punch, and Brick looked at her face. It was full of hatred and worry. For the first time, he was genuinely concerned about the enemy. Before he could be smashed again, however, Boomer pulled Blossom from Brick, throwing her into another wall, which cracked due to the sheer force of the throw.

Butch immediately took the time to lunge at Bubbles in the chaos of the fight. A kick sufficed to cause her jaw to dislocate, knocking her to the floor in tears. It was repairable. For some reason that's what Brick had said. _"Rough 'em up, but don't kill 'em."_

Bubbles grimaced in pain, feeling blood running down from her mouth. She closed her eyes. Hatred…anger…it flowed like a river of death. She closed her eyes, concentrating on hurting him…killing Butch.

Butch grabbed his neck. _Trouble breathing…_ He gasped a little. He felt something on his neck, like some invisible force gripping insanely. It got tighter.

"Wh…what the…h…hell?"

It was growing stronger, and he could barely breath.

At the same moment, Boomer was smashed straight in the forehead by Buttercup, causing him to fall to the ground. Temporarily. He leapt back up, glaring at the girl.

"You are gonna _pay_ for that one!" he virtually screamed.

He charged forward, delivering an incredibly painful uppercut to Buttercup's jaw. She went flying into the ceiling.

--

The Professor could hear what was going on, but did it really matter?

Maybe the girls were right…he was just a monster. A murdering bastard that deserved death as much as Satan himself did.

So why help them?

_What am I thinking?_ he virtually screamed in his mind. _I love them!_

_Do you?_ A colder, darker part of his mind whispered.

He ignored it, grabbing the large Imperial issue blaster rifle he had hidden in his chemical cabinet. He loaded it and began the run up the stairs. Before he could do anything however, someone burst through his laboratory door. It was Butch, floating in the air and grasping his neck. It didn't appear that he was floating of his own accord either. In a split second Isaac Utonium knew what was happening. He dashed up the stairs, grasping the blaster rifle tightly. There.

"She's losing a lot of blood…" the Professor muttered. But the gesture she was using… "Oh my God…"

He set the blaster to stun and prayed that he would be forgiven. He aimed it at Bubbles and—

A kick to the stomach. He crumpled to the floor. Bubbles fell unconscious, probably due to blood loss. Utonium had different matters to attend to, as Brick socked him across the face.

Bubbles was knocked out, and Buttercup was still fighting Boomer…but where was Blossom?

There was a loud noise, the sound of a fist connecting with one's face, and Brick buckled down to the floor. Blossom stood over his crumpled form, a strange look on her face.

She abruptly embraced the Professor.

"Daddy!" she whispered. "What's happening to me? What's happening to _us_? What's happening...to everything?"

The Professor closed his eyes tightly.

"I wish I knew."

End of Chapter 4


	5. 5

(A/N: I don't know why, but for some reason I felt like I could really describe the places and what was going on. It's kind of creepy, actually, how much I actually seemed to know the environment in this chapter, but that's to the side point. What's important here is that the show must go on!)

Chapter V

The fight was long over, the room zoned off by the police. The three Rowdyruffs had been sent to the prison hospital to treat their wounds. However, the girls themselves had wanted to go to sleep in their own home, along with the Professor.

"I wish this could all just…go away…" Bubbles murmured.

"I know…it's like some kind of twisted nightmare," Buttercup added. "Blossom? You OK over there?"

Blossom was already lying down in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah. I'm OK. I guess."

Bubbles let out a big yawn. "Well, tomorrow we start another 'exciting' day of school. We should get some rest."

"Yeah. Let's hit the sack," Buttercup continued. She floated into bed, getting comfortable in the soft bed.

She slipped into sleep, and Bubbles got into the bed as well. It was sort of odd. 9 years and they were still sharing a bed. Or was it, like the Professor said, 12?

The light switched off, and everything seemed to change.

The bright, cheerful room now had a dark tone to it, a sweet yet horrible feeling inside it. Blossom blinked several times. Her eyes…hurting.

Shadows melded and shifted, changing like smoke blowing through the cold night air. It hurt…everything blurry...

The mist shook, changing and forming shapes of all kinds. _Beautiful_, she whispered. A figure walked in slowly, and an inexplicable fear shook over her. The mist swirled and twisted in the darkness, casting half-shadows on the moonlit walls. The figure pulled a small cylinder from her belt, and immediately thoughts began to rush through Blossom's mind.

_Kill them all…they never loved me…power comes to those who truly seek it…anger to hate…dark side…_

_Father._

_"Wake up! Wake up!" a voice shouted. Another terrified voice let out a small whimper of terror._

_Not real, of course._

_Was it?_

_"Blossom! For god's sake…please wake up!" someone pleaded. Bubbles?_

_"She's out cold. We gotta go without--"_

Blossom opened her eyes, and saw Buttercup and Bubbles' faces flush with relief.

"What's going on?" Blossom ordered, waking up quickly.

"I have no damn idea," Bubbles admitted.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with us, though," Buttercup responded with lightning speed.

"What's that sound?" Blossom murmured. She was still almost half-asleep. She could swear she was hearing voices. Voices that were the living incarnations of suffering, pain…and evil.

"Well, that would be the sound of about one thousand terrible things coming to rip us to damn shreds!" Bubbles exploded.

"They found us," Buttercup finally said. "Whoever they are, they found us."

"Then why aren't we flying to go kick some ass?" Blossom demanded.

"_I_ can…but Bubbles…she's having some trouble with her powers. Something's wrong."

"I don't care," Bubbles said bravely. "I may not be able to fly, but you guys can't leave without me."

Blossom glanced around nervously, and the sleepiness wore off. Her vision cleared and she could clearly see a nightmare: Townsville was in flames. Not like normal…whoever had done this had thoroughly tried to demolish it. There was blood everywhere, and the sounds of explosions and fire burning into the cold night. Smoke was rising into the air, lit by the moon, a cruel beauty blending with the blood of the innocent.

"Where's the Professor?" Blossom inquired. She had plenty more questions, but not enough time for them.

"We don't know. He sort of…disappeared. Not literally of course, though that's been known to happen," Buttercup added, grinning grimly.

"We need to shut the hell up and actually _do_ something. Bubbles, I--"

"Hands on your heads!" a muffled voice shouted. The door burst down, and a figure, armored in white, slowly began to walk forward, aiming a gun-like item at the girls.

"You expect to hurt us with that?" Bubbles said, dumbfounded.

There was a flash of light, and a hole appeared in her shoulder.

Bubbles screamed, and more white-clad figures stormed into the room, blasting everything to pieces, trying to avoid hitting the girls. After nearly every exit was blocked, they stared at the girls with their cold, emotionless helmets.

"You're coming with us. 124-KT maneuver."

All of the soldiers pressed a button on their rifles. Then a green haze came to Blossom's mind, then nothing…

To be continued.


	6. Tom

(A/N: I decided to add a title to this chapter. I don't know why, the idea just came to me. Anyway, this chapter is going to be, believe it or not, possibly even darker than the last one. Be warned. HG: It was actually a typo when I said four years, and that isn't just a copout either. I was trying to think of the "Terran Years" system and how they would measure time, so I accidentally put "years". Sorry 'bout that…Anyway, here it is!–s7)

Chapter 6:

"Tom"

The green haze faded, and her eyes slowly opened.

Everything blurred, but one thing that she was sure of was a low buzzing sound and a red haziness.

Blossom Utonium grasped her head, which, incidentally, hurt like hell.

"Hello, Blossom," a voice said. It sounded strangely…degraded, if that was the word for it.

"H…hello…" she murmured.

"My name is Tom."

Tom was wearing an all-tan uniform, a couple rows of square medallions on the side of his chest and a holster to his side. Tom glowed brightly and looked at his holster, noticing Blossom was eyeing it with suspicion. It disappeared in an odd flash of light.

It was beautiful.

"Ask me any question you want," Tom said in his oddly inhuman voice, still glowing brightly.

The surroundings faded into existence. Some kind of small metal chamber. It was painted white, and somehow seemed less menacing than it normally would be.

Blossom smiled. She felt really good inside.

"Where am I?" she asked sleepily.

"It doesn't matter," Tom said quickly.

Tom was quite good-looking for an officer, Blossom thought.

"What DOES matter is that you understand _why you're here._" The last words were spoken softly, but with an odd type of superiority that Blossom didn't quite understand. After all, he was obviously a friend.

Blossom nodded.

"You're here because we want to _help_ you. You're very confused. So are your sisters, who are in other reeducation rooms."

"That's nice…" Blossom said quietly, still feeling tired and somehow more than a bit giddy.

"The New Order of the Galaxy is a very special thing," Tom said. "You see, before there was the New Order, sometimes called the Empire" (--this struck a note with Blossom, but she was not quite sure which--) "there was an ancient fossil of a government known as the Galactic Republic. It was ridiculous. No one really had any power, and the government was falling apart. So we came in." Another word for "took over", thought a small part of Blossom's dazed mind, but she ignored it.

"Anyway, we decided to intervene. Unfortunately, the Jedi were exterminated in the process, but no one really cared about them. They wielded too much power, anyway."

"Yeah, I agree," Blossom drowsily. She didn't know who these Jedi were, or how they came into existence, but it didn't really matter now, did it? She just needed to listen…or terrible things would happen.

"Sadly, there are those who would like to hurt the New Order, and though they are few and far-between, they are still there. Which is why you and your sisters were created. To hurt the bad guys, which I've heard you commonly do on your home planet."

"Is Professor OK?"

"He's just fine," Tom answered quickly. "You need to help the New Order though."

"How do I help?" she was quick to answer.

"You need to exterminate the rebels. To exterminate them all."

A chill ran down Blossom's spine, though she wasn't exactly sure why.

"Do I have to? Can't I just stay with you?" Blossom pleaded. "You're nice and handsome."

"You need to kill them," Tom said in an almost fatherly way. "It's why you were created."

That struck a chord. "No…it wasn't."

"What?"

"I was created because the Professor loves me."

Tom smiled, an eerie smile that had a menacing quality to it.

"We'll try again tomorrow."

---

Days passed like hours, spinning quickly, and yet, though Blossom could see Tom and talk to him, she had an odd feeling things weren't what they seemed. Like the time she had tried to ask what the Emperor was like.

"Information classified. Enter password," he had said. The voice sounded so…weird. Like it wasn't a voice at all, rather some kind of creature. A creature that wanted to eat her whole and destroy all that she loved…

She didn't know of any password to say, really, so she refrained from talking at all.

"It's alright," Tom had said after gaining his bearings. "I can still be your friend."

And so they were friends. At one point, Blossom almost asked why she couldn't use any of her powers, but she decided not to. Tom might get sad…

---

Blossom awoke with a pain in her head and a loud noise.

For the first time in who-knows-how-long, there was a noise other than Tom talking.

A siren.

It pierced the air, floating through the cell.

"Tom?" Blossom said, barely awake. "Are you there?"

There was no response.

"Tom?"

All the answer that came was a rush of light, blurring her vision.

Random voices came, and someone grabbed her.

"She looks like she's been loaded up on spice, maybe starved too," a female voice whispered. "Cover me." Explosions and shouts of pain filled the area.

"I've got the other one," said a deeper, male voice.

"Get her in the ship."

Blossom's head began to sting and she let out a cry.

"She's in withdrawal," added the man.

Another, familiar shout of pain could be heard.

"Knock her out. We have no choice."

Once again


	7. Awakening

(Author's Note: I've had writer's block for some time, but I've gotten over it, thank God. Anyway, remembering an earlier review of yours HG, maybe you should see the Star Wars movies. To anyone who hasn't seen them yet, _start with the originals_. They are the best! Oh yeah, and saw "Revenge of the Sith" for the second time yesterday. Still awesome. Enough of my pointless ranting, and on with the chapter:D)

Chapter 7

Kyle Katarn, hero and rebel agent, was reduced to this. His mission: Take care of a couple of teenagers. I mean, even if they had superpowers, it was still truly under his capabilities. It wasn't like--in any way—that he didn't care about people in danger. He just didn't really understand why the Rebellion wanted _him_ (of all people) to take care of the two girls. Why not a medic? Hadn't he done enough, rescuing the twins from the Empire and from the near-certain prospect of losing their minds?

Still, he looked down at the one in the tattered pink shirt.

_Poor kid. She's sweating like a vornskr…_

Her head was damp with sweat and her breathing heavy, like she was having some kind of nightmare. Kyle pulled out a washcloth and pressed it against her forehead, wiping off the sweat.

"Damn Imperials…drugging an innocent little kid with some spice…" he murmured to no one in particular.

At the exact moment he finished that sentence, the girl in pink's eyelids fluttered, then burst open. She literally flew upward through the air and grabbed Kyle by the neck.

"Who…are…you?" Blossom said with a vicious voice, it's anger only matched by her eyes.

"...I…I'm…" he struggled. "…K-Kyle…"

Blossom raised an eyebrow, now curious but still angry.

"Hello Kyle. I'll be your psychopath for today. Tell me what I want to know, and you'll go free. If not, then…well…" She smiled.

"…here to…(he coughed)"

Blossom nodded.

"…helped…save you…"

Blossom immediately let go, her eyes widening.

"You…you're that Kyle I heard when…"

The whole ordeal was a haze, but she remembered a "Kyle", a "Jan", and Tom, naturally.

"Yeah…and that really, _really_ hurt."

"Sorry," Blossom said quietly. "I…don't know what came over me."

"Hey, I'd be pissed too if someone was injecting me with spice in order to brainwash me."

" 'Spice?'"

"Yeah. It's an illegal drug here. It's nasty and can really mess with peoples' heads. They were using it to try to mess you up…bring you to _their_ side."

"The Empire."

Kyle nodded.

"Look, you better just rest. Your sister should be coming to in a couple hours or so."

Blossom raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Sister? You mean _sisters_, right?

"…No…I…" It dawned on him, then and there. "Oh shit. They didn't _tell me, damnit!_"

"What's going on?" Blossom demanded.

"They said that there were only two of you," Kyle admitted at last.

Blossom turned to where she was lying down several minutes ago. Only Buttercup was lying there now.

"Bubbles…" she whispered. "I'm going to find her," she said, her voice rising.

"You…you need your rest. We'll be able to get her back soon enough."

"We better," Blossom said coldly.

Kyle walked out of the room.

_Cute kid, but entirely psycho,_ he thought.

---

It was as if a fog had been lifted from her mind.

Bubbles felt herself being thrown down onto the cold stone floor. The air in the room seemed cold, and there was a definite element of fear in the place. Her head still hurt…

She rose up from the floor. At the sight of the figure her heart beat faster.

The man was wearing a dark cloak, covering all but his hands and the lower half of his face. But it didn't seem like it. The eyes seemed to stare straight through the hood and pierce into her mind.

"Bubbles…" a cold and crooked voice murmured. The voice sounded old and decrepit, but had a powerful and commanding sound to it. "Hello, child."

Bubbles only nodded to acknowledge the fact that her name had been spoken.

"You…miss your sisters. I do apologize…"

Bubbles raised her head. "I do."

"Yes…I sense it. You miss your home…am I correct? Yes, of course I am."

She said nothing.

"You are so young. So full of life. When you get to be my age, of course, you won't be..." the man said. Then he laughed, a mirthless and cold laugh that chilled Bubbles to the bone.

"You are, to be quite frank, lucky to have such great power at such an early age. Am I correct?"

Bubbles considered speaking, but suppressed that urge. It only worked for so long. "These…these powers I have. They're going away."

"I suspected such. At a certain age you were designed to lose the powers. They were only existent to train the _new_ ones that you were supposed to learn with age."

Bubbles wondered of this for several seconds, then vigorously shook her head. "Who are you?" she muttered.

"That is of no importance. But if you wish to name me, know me as…Palpatine."

"Palpatine," Bubbles said, pondering the odd word. Perhaps it meant something on this planet, like in the many science fiction movies she loved so dearly, watching them with her family…which struck a chord. "Where are my sisters?"

Palpatine raised his hood slightly, still covering the forehead, but not the piercing gaze of the eyes.

"They are dead, my dear child. They are dead."

End of Chapter 7


	8. Adjusting

Chapter 8

Buttercup kept her hand steady. There was no need to be shaking.

The cold steel was slightly warmed by her hand's grasp on the handle and barrel.

"Good. Now just aim and--"

There was an explosion of energy and Buttercup freaked, dropping the weapon.

"…fire. Look, if you're going to learn how to fire a blaster, at least learn how to do it right."

Buttercup looked indignant.

"I was aiming for the target!" she burst. "The rifle's just…uh…top heavy!"

Jan smiled. "It's hard the first couple of times, but I think you'll get the hang of it."

Buttercup glared.

"Now excuse me, I've got a meeting to attend. You make sure to come too, it'll be at 13:00 hours."

Jan walked off, and another load blast of energy was heard along with a groan of annoyance. Clearly another miss.

"_Again_?" Buttercup audibly whispered.

---

Blossom stood at the bridge, leaning against the wall.

Ahead of her was nothing. Literally, besides some glass. Nothing…for who knew how many miles?

The window seemed appealing somehow, as did the idea of nothing. She had nothing left, didn't she?

'_Break through. Die.'_

Blossom was suddenly wide awake. "Who's there?" she murmured.

'_Lose it all, what little remains. Nothing is peace. No problems, no people. No sisters.'_

"Shut up," she hissed.

'_Your anger…your fear…good. Feel it. Let it make you stronger!'_

"No!"

'_Only then will you have the power to save your family!'_

"SHUT UP!"

"Uh…you OK, Bloss?"

Buttercup was standing in the doorway, looking clueless.

"Yeah…I'm—Fine. What is it?"

_Meeting in a couple minutes._

"We've got a meeting in a couple minutes with the head honchos here. Damn, I hate this place." She murmured several more curse words, and noticed the look on Blossom's face.

"What is it?"

"I…I think there's something the Professor never told us. It…doesn't matter. Let's just go."

Buttercup looked a little disturbed still, but let out a smile. "I know it seems like things've gone straight to hell, but hey, we've got to hang on to what we got."

_That's almost like something Bubbles would say_, Blossom thought sadly.

"Yeah…I guess you're right. We have to get going."

---

Her restless dreams haunted her throughout the night, torturing her already pained soul with three deadly words.

_"…they are dead…"_

"Awake, child, awake."

That was no dream.

Bubbles opened her eyes.

The old man…(What was his name? Palpatine?) was standing above her, the upper half of his face once more concealed.

"I trust you had a good night's sleep?" he said warmly.

"Well…yes…I…"

"Please. There is no need to lie to me. I can _help_."

Bubbles's eyes widened, and the moment she did Palpatine began to cough furiously.

"I am sorry, young one. My old age…is beginning to take me."

Bubbles raised her eyes sympathetically.

"There is nothing you can do," Palpatine whispered in a raspy voice, sounding very frail indeed. "But there is one thing _I_ can do for _you_."

"What?"

"I can teach you how to return your sisters to life…if you want to learn how."

Bubbles's eyes brightened significantly.

"I have an apprentice known as Darth Vader. You will train with him on the process of raising the dead."

"Where--?"

"My guards will escort you there. You needn't worry."

Two men in all red robes with dark crimson helmets on walked her into a small, compact room. It began to shake, and it rumbled down the dark tower of Coruscant.

Fate was coming, and the only thing that would come of it would be pain…

End Chapter 8


	9. 9

(Author's Note: Sorry if the chapter starts out slow. I really, really hate writer's block. Special thanks to my dad the English teacher for helping me over it. :D On with the show!)

Chapter 9

The room was packed. It looked a little like a courtroom, with people in the pews of all different genders and species. There was a beautiful young woman with tentacle-like things hanging out of the back of her head. A red creature that looked almost exactly human…except for the many horns protruding from his head. A small alien in a brown hood, his yellow eyes glowing.

"He looks like an evil munchkin," Buttercup murmured. "Hey," she whispered to Blossom, sitting next to her. "am I the only one who feels like I'm watching Star Trek?"

"Shut up," Blossom muttered.

"What? I was just making a joke!"

"Yeah, you think _they're_ weird?" Blossom demanded. "How about three teenage genetically engineered clones with pink, blue and green eyes who have superpowers and come from an invaded planet?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes like she didn't care, but said almost nothing for the rest of the meeting.

After several minutes, a man with brown scales, an enormous head and fishlike yellow eyes, came into the center podium. Buttercup had desperately wanted to say she swore she'd seen him in a tuna commercial when she was ten but decided against it, not wanting to anger Blossom.

_It's not like I'm not going through the same things she is,_ Buttercup thought to herself. Then she looked into Blossom's eyes, icy and fearful. She felt cold all over. _What the hell is happening? I just don't have any god damn idea anymore…_

At once, the moment the fish-guy got onto the podium, he began to speak in a strange, gravely voice.

"Men and women of the Alliance…" the creature paused for a moment to breath. It actually seemed to be aquatic. "…we have a dilemma."

"Duh," Buttercup murmured under her breath to prevent Blossom from hearing.

"I am Admiral Ackbar, for those of you who do not know me. I now call Kyle Katarn and Jan Orrs to the podium." Ackbar finished, gesturing to the two.

"Thank you," Jan said politely. "Two days ago, the twenty-second, we received a transmission. At approximately 14:00 hours," she added hastily.

"Of what sort?" Ackbar inquired.

"It was an audio transmission," Kyle picked up the tale. "It simply told us our mission. At least, what we thought was our mission."

"We have a copy of the said transmission. Miss Adi-Mundi, would you mind playing it?"

A young woman stepped forth, holding what looked like a cross between a radio and a computer. She switched it on.

_"**Ksstch**…Kyle…Jan…do you read me?"_

_"Clear," _came Kyle's voice. _"Enter your access code."_

A painful combination of beeping noises, fuzz and screeches came from the message recorder.

_"Security cleared. What's on you mind?" _Kyle said casually.

_"Two girls are being held captive, by the name of Blossom and Buttercup. Rescue mission."_

_"Don't worry about it. Do you know how many rescue missions I've done?"_ came Kyle's voice, cocky as ever.

_"Shut up, Kyle," _Jan murmured.

_"Be careful. They have maximum security in the prison ship. I'm uploading it's coordinates right now. Oh, and by the way…"_

_"Yeah?" _Jan said.

_"May the Force be with you."_

The recorder shut down.

"No one," Ackbar began. "…in the entire Alliance, sent that message to you. No, we did not think you had turned traitor." Kyle looked relieved. "However, it is now obvious that _someone_ has."

There were whispers of excitement and fear.

"If this traitor confesses at this second who he is, the punishment will be much lighter than planned."

There was a long silence.

"Meeting adjourned," Ackbar hissed with incredible disdain.

As everyone began to leave, Blossom had a somewhat puzzled look on her face.

"Why?" she muttered.

"Why what?" Buttercup answered.

"Why transmit that? I mean, what could they possibly gain by separating us?"

"I have no idea," Buttercup admitted. "Let's hit the sack. C'mon…" Buttercup yawned. "We need some rest."

"Yeah. I guess so."

But she couldn't let herself sleep. Neither of them could. There was more to this than it seemed. There just _had_ to be…

---

Bubbles Utonium heard the door slam shut behind her with a quiet rumble. Wherever she was now, it was the darkest place she had ever been. And this time there was no way to see.

A series of cracking noises broke the silence as the ceiling erupted into light. She could see she was in a hallway, cold steel still surrounding her.

She dared herself to walk, and began to move forward.

_Suck…hiss_

"W…what?"

_Suck…hiss_

"Who's there?"

The only things she could here was her own footsteps and the sound of some monster breathing.

_Suck…hiss_

A shiver ran down her spine. She needed to run—now…but.

She couldn't. Something compelled her to walk forth.

Or run.

She began to sprint, but her own footsteps became louder as did the breathing. She stopped, now in a dark chamber, like a throne-room. The breathing noises were louder than ever.

"Who's…there?" she whimpered. "Don't kill me."

She could make out the form of a man. He stood there, facing her. He held out an arm, and a small cylindrical object rolled out of his hand. Bubbles immediately grabbed it. It seemed simple enough, just a handle with a switch.

The silhouette pulled an cylinder of his own from his belt. There was an explosion of red light and a low humming sound.

The light revealed a terror unlike any she'd seen. It was not a man, but some nightmarish machine. The head was like some horrific skull mask, with wide metallic eyes and a breathing vent where the mouth would be. The rest of the machine was all black, with a dark cape extending to the ankles. The handle had ignited a beam of energy the color of blood, like a sword.

"Draw your saber," the figure said, it's precise and deep voice echoing through the cavernous chamber.

Bubbles grasped the cylinder…the 'saber'…even harder. Something occurred to her: The switch. She pulled it down, and a red blade of her own escaped from the lightsaber. At that moment the shadowy figure leapt, slicing down with his sword. Instinct kicked in, and Bubbles blocked it instantly.

"Good…listen to your instincts!"

The sabers disconnected, and the shadow attempted a direct stab at Bubbles. She leapt backwards and rolled to the right. Not the best idea in the world. The shadow now had the higher ground and attempted a slash at the stomach, which was once again blocked, this time in a lock between the swords.

_Why…is he so strong?_

Bubbles barely broke the lock and jumped up to the platform with the throne where her opponent waited. She attempted a hack of her own, trying to cut from the shoulder down. The shadow blocked with ease, then sliced across the stomach.

The most horrible dizziness came to her. She coughed a little, and a red liquid began to drip from her mouth. Everything blurred, but he could distinctly see the shadow speaking with…Palpatine?

"My master. She is strong in the Force, although she does not know it," the shadow said.

"Yes…I sensed it too. She is most powerful of the project, obviously. Bring her to the medical center…I need to speak to Lord Vader alone."

White shapes moved towards her, pushing her onto a medical cot.

_Vader._

She was awake as the doctors brought her to the medical center, but the urge to sleep finally overtook her, and she rested.

---

"Vader."

"Yes, Master…"

Emperor Palpatine sat on his throne of iron, glaring down at Darth Vader.

"I assign you the mission of training the girl. You must report to me after every session, describing everything that happened with the utmost detail. I am…quite curious about this child's abilities."

"Of course, Master."

"You may leave."

Vader rose from his kneel, and walked off, through the throne room.

_He has grown weak. My apprentices…all failures. But a child…a child could be trained to hate from such a young age. Honed into the ultimate weapon. There is already enough rage within her. If she can wield it…_

A chilling laugh filled the empty throne room.

_…the Empire shall rule all._

End Chapter 9


	10. A Partial History Lesson

(A/N: To anyone named "Joel", I deeply, deeply apologize from the bottom of my heart.)

Chapter 10

"Hey…hey…" a familiar voice sounded.

Blossom blinked several times.

"HEY!" Buttercup shouted. "Are you thick or what? Wake up! Something's happening!"

Blossom glared at Buttercup. "Thanks you very much," she said with more than a hint of vicious sarcasm.

"There's something weird goin' on," Buttercup stated. "People keep blabbering on and on about these 'Heroes of Yavin' people returning or something. It's actually kind of creepy."

"Let's check it out," Blossom said, giving in.

---

Blossom and Buttercup walked through the hallways of the ship, glancing around for anyone heroic-looking.

"Damn. This is getting us no where," Buttercup mumbled. "I'm checking the meeting room. Maybe that's where they are…"

She walked off, leaving Blossom in the middle of the ship's bridge.

There was a swift sound of a door sliding open and closing once again, and out of no where Blossom felt an immense calm.

The young man, probably not even in his twenties, walked forward. He was wearing a white robe, fingering another strange small cylinder on his belt. He had a scarred look in his fragile blue eyes, like he had just gone through an immensely troubling ordeal. His blond hair shimmered, and he just stared out into the blackness of space.

"Han…where are you?" he said softly.

"Hey…are you one of those Yavin guys?" Blossom asked, then immediately regretted.

"Uh…yeah. I guess so. Who are you? Is there…something wrong with your eyes?"

Blossom blinked, then blushed. "Well…um…"

"Sorry," the young man apologized. "By the way, my name's Luke. I'm actually surprised you haven't heard of me. People keep blabbering my name all over the place, it's a wonder I get any privacy."

"I know exactly how you feel, believe it or not. At my home planet, me and my sisters were regarded as heroes. Until it…fell to the Empire."

"Were you and your sisters…Jedi Knights?"

"Kazoomtite."

There was a long silence.

"Wait…that wasn't a sneeze?"

"Uh…no. You…you're new here, aren't you?" Luke said, a look of sort-of-annoyed-but-more-wanting-to-help in his face.

"Well…yeah. I come from--"

Luke wasn't listening. His eyes were closed in concentration.

"Think your past," he said quietly.

"What?"

"It's…you won't have to actually explain it. I'm testing something out."

Blossom blinked. "Oookay."

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her past. Their apparent birth, the creation of Mojo Jojo, the many battles with criminals that insued, and…the Empire.

Luke let out a shout, then fell to the floor.

"Luke!" Blossom shouted in a mixture of surprise and terror.

"I…I saw everything…I'm sorry. I wasn't ready to intrude on your thoughts…and it wasn't right of me."

Luke spoke no more and began to walk out, his pain showing in his eyes.

"Hey," Blossom called, and immediately regretted it. He turned back, his deep blue eyes showing.

"Yeah?"

"What exactly…did you _do_ back there? Are you a psychic or something?"

"I guess you could say that," Luke said with a small smile. "I'm a Jedi Knight."

"You mentioned that word before. What does that _mean_?" Blossom asked earnestly.

"A Jedi Knight…they are…_were_…the guardians of the Force. I'm not too surprised you haven't heard of them. The Empire has been trying and succeeding of wiping away any vestige of the old Republic." Before Blossom could ask any questions, he went on. "The Jedi were the keepers of peace and tranquility in the old Republic. Before the Empire's reign of darkness, the Jedi used a…they…how can I explain this? Hmm…"

He stopped for several seconds, then continued.

"Every being, from the smallest insect to the largest creature, creates energy. This life-energy, or the Force, is throughout the galaxy. As long as there is life, there will be the Force. It binds us, connects us…without it we would be without direction and conscience. The Force can be used, tapping into the vast energy web to give you strength and the ability to clear your mind and body. This is what the Jedi did."

The last few words were spoken solemnly, as if during a eulogy.

"They guarded the galaxy in the days of the Republic, for thousands of years. Then a powerful Sith Lord came. A Sith known as--"

"Hang on a sec. A 'Sith'?"

"They're force-users who have fallen to the Dark Side." Seeing Blossom's puzzled look, Luke began to explain further. "The Dark Side is the negative side of the force. Hatred, anger and fear, the most simple and harmful emotions, fuel the Dark Side. At first, one who uses it's power would consider it's energies greater than the Light, but those who chose that path become consumed by hatred. They never know peace again…" he said, his mind seeming to wander. He stared down at one of his hands, and Blossom jumped. The hand was robotic.

"I have strived to go down the path of the Jedi, but I…I'm a failure. I can't face my enemy. I just…can't." He paused. "I can't say much…I won't…but…I fought someone just a week ago. I lost my hand in the fight, and much more. My hope. I had thought my enemy to be pure hatred, but…"

He stopped. "I have to go for now. Something's going on. I'll see you later…"

"What? I--"

"Don't worry. I'll be here for another week. And perhaps…"

"What?"

"Nothing. Come and see me tomorrow morning. I have a lot to teach you."

Luke walked out of the hall, and the door slammed shut.

Teach what? The conversation had shed some light on what was happening, but not enough. She needed to know what was going on, and exactly that.

The rest of the day, her mind was racing with questions eager to be answered. She needed to know…who was this man? And what did she need to learn? All of these questions would be answered the next morning, and only then, she thought as she went to bed.

End Chapter 10


	11. Jedi Training

Author's Note: Ding Dong the Wicked Writer's Block is Dead! YES!

Chapter 11

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

In other words, it was breakfast.

"So, this Luke guy's a…what?" Buttercup said, her mouth full of toast.

"A Jedi Knight," Blossom finished. Noticing the look on Buttercup's face, she added "Even _I_ don't really know what that means."

The room was quite cold, but it was the only place to get food. It was a large circular room with a dome ceiling, and chilly metal walls. (They smelled a little like rotting tuna.) The food itself was fair, lacking the deliciousness of the kind made by the Professor, but they had to live somewhere.

Buttercup was counting on her fingers.

"Three, four..._Five_?" she said, astounded. "We've been here for five weeks! Damn!"

"Could you _stop saying that_?" Blossom requested.

"Sure…" she replied, and murmured another curse word.

"You should really stop hanging out with Kyle so much. I think his personality's rubbing off on you," Blossom said, grinning. Buttercup didn't look quite as amused, and picked up her tray.

"I'll see you later, Bloss. Have fun with your Jedi…thingy."

She took off, walking towards the tray collector.

_The sad thing is,_ Blossom thought to herself, _I'm actually getting used to this._

The hallways were bustling with people, as always. Men and women ran (or marched?) by, occasionally glancing at Blossom in a welcome way.

The thought returned. She was actually getting used to this.

And _that_.

_That_ was scary.

There was a crash, and Blossom toppled to the ground.

"Oww…"

"Sorry, Bloss," Kyle's voice apologized. "I have to get going."

"What? How long?"

"A while. The Empire's working on this new weapon…a Darktrooper or something like that. They massacred a whole base on Tavin. I've been sent to investigate."

"Well…good luck. And don't die," Blossom added as an afterthought, smirking.

"I'll miss you and your sister, kid. You guys always brighten my day," Kyle replied, partly sarcastic and partly truthful.

"Hey…how are you and Jan doing?"

"Fine," he said quickly. "Let's not talk about that, OK?"

"Alright," Blossom answered. "Scout's honor."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Bye, Bloss," he said, waving her farewell as he walked off.

And, at last, Blossom arrived at the door of the person she knew least about in the entire ship: Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. It sounded like something off of an old science fiction cartoon like "Space Ghost".

She knocked, and the door opened with a swoosh of air. Luke was standing on the other side of the doorway.

"Hello, Blossom. I've been waiting for you. Come in, I have much to teach you."

Blossom nodded, slightly freaked out, and walked in.

"I have invited you here to teach you the ways of the Jedi."

"I sort of figured that out by myself," Blossom said, grinning.

"Good. Now, let's get started. I've heard you are…_were_…a major hero on your planet. With superpowers to boot."

"Yeah. I've fought all sorts of spooky little villain people, like Mojo Jojo, HIM, the Rowdyruff boys. You could even call me a superhero," she said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Have you ever felt—while you're fighting or otherwise--a peace within you? A feeling that you knew exactly what to do, exactly what punch to throw, exactly what was going to happen to you? Like you were at one with everything?"

Blossom blinked furiously. "Um…yes. How did you--"

"This is the very essence of the force. You were at peace because you had found yourself. It happens all the time with people everywhere. The problem is, most people don't know they are using the force. They assume they are just on a roll, or in an especially good mood. All of this is true, but the force is what makes it possible. I want you to concentrate. I am going to throw this knife at you--"

"What?" Blossom whimpered, stunned.

"—and you are going to catch it. I know you can. First, close your eyes. Clear your mind of all thought."

She closed her eyes, and did as told. She could hear this humming sound in her mind. She had heard it before on some occasions, during the many battles back at home. Earth.

"I hear this noise…the force?" she asked, her voice sounding calm but focused.

"Exactly. Look around you."

"How?"

"Reach out with your senses. Do not trust your eyes or your hearing. They can be deceived."

Luke appeared in front of her, although her eyes were closed. She could hear people talking. People on the other side of the ship. Buttercup was firing a blaster rifle in the target practice room. Kyle was starting up his ship—the Moldy Crow, as he fondly called it.

The knife glittered in her thoughts, moving closer by the second, slow as it seemed to be. She reached out her hand and grasped at where she knew it would be by the time she had done it.

She had caught it. She opened her eyes to see Luke looking pleased.

"How did I—What happe—What?"

"You trusted your feelings and instincts. The force is with you."

Blossom could still hear the hum. "That was…that was incredible! I need to know more!"

"That lesson's enough for today. Tomorrow I'll show you more abilities like that."

Blossom walked out of the door, and felt, for the first time in a while, that she was in control of her own destiny…

End Chapter 11


	12. Children Playing War

Chapter 12

There was an explosion of energy, and Buttercup let out a mischievous grin.

Hovering in front of her was a humanoid-shaped holographic figure, made to look similar to an old cardboard target on a shooting range. With it's head blown off. She waited till the energy meter was full again (for a longer range of shots), and reactivated the target range. Approximately 7 more humanoids appeared, moving as evasively as possible. Too easy. She adjusted the difficulty dial and set it to hard. Immediately, 7 other, red humanoid shapes appeared, each with the symbol of the Rebel Alliance on them. Difficult, but fun.

She closed her eyes, gathered as much aiming skill as she could, and began to fire the blaster. The thrill of the kill filled her mind, as did adrenaline. She opened her eyes. She always had an excellent feeling about fighting, sort of an intuition on what to do.

Her mouth dropped open in shock. She had destroyed all of the enemy targets, but…

She had hit one of the red ones, representing the Alliance.

The holographic paper that was a part of the illusionary "chest" floated down like cardboard would.

It wouldn't have normally been such a big deal, but what if she was actually in the battlefield, or on a secret mission? If she shot a companion in the chest, bursting their heart, it would give them just enough time to barely realize what had happened. And then look into her eyes, and mutter: _"Why?"_

Then the companion would collapse, dead. What if it was Blossom? She could never forgive herself if that happened.

"BC?" a voice called.

"Um…oh! Blossom! I was just…thinking about you. How's your Jedi stuff going?"

"Pretty well. I'm learning how to lift simple objects with my mind…and, well, failing miserably."

"Ah. Sounds like one of those psychic manga stories Bubbles used to read," Buttercup said, laughing.

The moment she finished that sentence, she regretted it.

"I—I'm--" Buttercup stuttered frantically.

Blossom hesitated, then spoke. "It's good that we're talking about her. We need to learn to just mention Bubbles casually without flipping out."

"Yeah…uh. Sure. So, let's get back to the Jedi thing."

"Got it. I'm learning to do all sorts of cool stuff with the force. Like for an example. Fire at me with that blaster," Blossom said, quite seriously.

"What? Are you--?" Then Buttercup saw the signature 'I'm Not Kidding' look on Blossom's face, and shook her head vigorously. "I'm not going to shoot at you. Something could go wrong."

"I guess you're right. Luke told me a friend of his who always reminded him: 'Don't get cocky, kid'." Blossom said the last part in a low and ridiculous voice that made both Buttercup and Blossom laugh.

"So…do you want to learn how to fire this thing?" Buttercup said, gesturing to the rifle.

---

He was the boy who had lost and gained everything. One of the last the people of earth trusted, along with the others.

"Move out," he commanded, and his troops moved forward through the warzone.

"Yo, b--…I mean, Commander," said one of his troops said, looking at him suspiciously.

"Yeah?"

"I hate my life," he said, bursting out into laughter.

"Shut up."

The war party moved forward.

"Right in front of us is what used to be Town Hall. The Imps turned it into their all-you-can-torture prison. So we're going to kick their sorry asses."

There was an audible beeping noise.

"What the hell?" the boy shouted, his eyes darting over his troops. "What was that?"

Beep.

One of the troops that the boy didn't know as well grinned insanely.

"What the hell are you--"

Beep.

He held out a small metallic device.

"Oh my god. Duck and cov--"

There was an explosion, and everything went red.

End Chapter 12


End file.
